Fighting For You (Danvers #4)(42)



“Okay, would you like to elaborate? Or are you going to leave us guessing,” Beth asked.

“Oh hell no,” Suzy snorted, “Leaving us hanging isn’t even an option with a statement like that. Plus, calling someone like you a slut would be like calling Dora the Explorer a prostitute.”

“Well, Dora does seem to spend a lot of time away from her parents,” Claire laughed. Besides Claire, their new friend Emma chuckled.

Ella could feel herself turning a bright shade of red. They were having a girls’ night out or in this case, girls’ night in. Beth’s feet were swollen to the size of boats and her doctor had ordered her to keep them elevated as much as possible so they had all decided to come to her.

And in a fit of honesty, she had blurted that out. Now Suzy would never let it go and she could only imagine what Emma would think of her. Seeing the look of determination in the three sets of eyes watching her, she lowered her own saying, “I did it in front of Declan.”

Wrinkling her nose, Suzy asked, “What do you mean? Like farted or something?”

Before she could deny it, Beth spoke up. “Ugh, yeah that sucks. I seem to have lost control of my body since I have been pregnant. It happened to me last week. Nick and I were cuddling on the couch watching a movie and it just came out of nowhere. Of course, the damn movie had to be at a quiet part at just that moment so it sounded like a gunshot in the room. I have never seen Nick move so fast before. He almost dumped me on the floor in his haste to get away. You wouldn’t believe how he acted. He was holding his nose, spraying air freshener, and gagging. That man wasn’t even near me at that point so I know it wasn’t bothering him. If I had committed murder he wouldn’t have freaked out that much! I mean, come on, it’s not like he has never done it around me before.”

While everyone was laughing at Beth, Ella wondered if she should let them believe that was it. Just as she decided to let it go, Suzy turned her attention back to her and she knew it wasn’t over. “Why would farting in front of Declan make you a slut? Nasty maybe, but a slut? That’s reaching even for me.”

“I didn’t do . . . that. I, um . . . kind of touched myself.” The room was suddenly so quiet you could hear a pin drop. If she thought everyone was eager before, they were practically falling out of their seats now.

“Oh do tell, my little star pupil,” Suzy purred.

When Ella remained silent, Emma of all people blurted out, “You masturbated in front of him?” Even Suzy’s mouth was hanging open as they all gaped at Emma. “Whoops, sorry. I’ve got a mother who constantly talks about everything so this would be a pretty normal conversation between us. Well, I don’t mean me confessing to it, but her asking me if I’ve gotten laid lately and suggesting I do.” When they all continued to stare at her, she said, “Oh crap, please forget you heard all of that.”

Appearing impressed, Suzy said, “Let’s do lunch one day soon.” She then turned her attention back to Ella. “Sooo, my little girl did the naughty in front of Declan.” Ella nodded her head bracing for impact. When Suzy wedged in beside her on the couch and pulled her into a hug, she was speechless. “Oh, my baby girl has grown up. You have made me so proud. It looks like you are getting close to removing those training wheels after all.”

Claire sat forward also giving her a look of pride. “Honey, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about and it certainly doesn’t make you a slut. What goes on in the bedroom or wherever is no one’s business. It sounds like you are comfortable with Declan, and with your body. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Jason just loves, well you know, stuff like that.”

“So does Nick,” Beth added. “Thanks by the way for not making that clear, and letting me tell all of you about my farting. Friends don’t let friends do that.”

“Yeah, thanks for that, sis,” Suzy added. “I’ve just finally got past you doing Nick in my house, now I have to scrub your bodily function issues out of my head as well. But, back to Ella. Claire is right. It’s nothing to be upset over. Heck, I do that in front of Gray sometimes even when we aren’t having sex. I find they like it a lot when it’s completely out of the blue. I will add though, make damn sure you remember the cleaning lady’s schedule.” Visibly cringing, she added, “Whew, color me awkward. Now when she comes, she yells from the front door for five minutes just in case I have my hand in my pants.”

When everyone stopped laughing, Emma said, “Consider yourself lucky, at least you have someone to watch you. The last time I had any action, parachute pants were still in style. At this point in my life, my hand and I are seeing each other exclusively. All that’s left for me is to subscribe to  p**n  sites and buy a dozen cats.”

Giving Emma an evil grin, Suzy said, “If we helped Ella not only land a man like Declan, but do herself in front of him, I think we can easily find you a man. Hell, everyone here dates someone from work. How about the stud that you work for? If he’s Declan’s brother, he must have some kink in him somewhere.”

Emma stuck her finger in her mouth in a gagging gesture. “Please don’t even say that. I couldn’t possibly imagine doing anything to him that doesn’t involve death or dismemberment. He is a complete ass wipe. When he isn’t bitching about me putting cream in his coffee and almost killing him, he’s complaining about me stapling his papers the wrong way.” In a perfect imitation of Brant’s voice, she said, “‘Emma, do you see something wrong here? How am I supposed to read this report with the staple so close to the first line?’ I will admit, I had a severe case of PMS that day and was tired of him picking on me, so I grabbed the papers and pulled them apart, then lined them up on his desk. I could tell he was really chapped over that, but he simply raised that annoying eyebrow at me and said, ‘How clever, Emma. Your job performance is simply amazing. You are a true asset to Danvers.’” Then, remembering the owner’s wife was in the room, she winced, “Sorry, Claire.”

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